An exhaust fan burned and caused a fire at Atzimba Mexican Restaurant on State Street on Tuesday morning, but damage was minor, no injuries occurred and business went uninterrupted.
According to Clarksdale Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Chicorelli, a call came in at around 9:36 a.m. Tuesday prior to the restaurant opening.
Three fire trucks, along with nine firefighters, were on the scene and put out the fire in approximately five minutes.
“They (Atzimba employees) came out and said they had a fire,” Chicorelli said. “There was smoke coming out of the top of the building. We climbed up on top of the roof. It was a fan motor up in the vent-a-hood.”
Chicorelli said the exhaust fan started making noise after it was turned on Tuesday morning.
“It could have been a whole lot worse,” he said. “It was a good thing it happened when it did while they were there. They noticed it because the ashes were falling down through the ductwork into the building and they saw that. They knew they had some kind of fire.”
Chicorelli said investigators would have to determine if any individual caused the fire or if it was something that could not be prevented.
“There was just damage to the fan motor,” Chicorelli said. “The exhaust fan motor is what was on top of the roof. It burned around it a little bit.”
Chicorelli said taking care of exhaust fans will lower the chances of a fire occurring.
“The main thing... if you’ve got any kind of exhaust fans in your kitchen, grease and residue will build up in advance,” he said. “It’s just like a chimney. Any kind of heat will ignite it or get it going. You just need to make sure that stuff is cleaned out.”
While the fire at Atzimba may have appeared more serious at first, Chicorelli said the CFD usually sends three trucks to the scene.
“Any time there is a business or residence on fire, we send three trucks,” he said.
